Judy Gregory provides seven key ways that writing for the web differs from in print. She also makes her audience aware that sometimes the guidelines don't always apply. There isn't strict guidelines for every article written on the web. Web writing doesn't have a genre because the similarities aren't very consistent.. Her following statement offers an alternative to the "outlined" guidelines.
“Because this broad approach to advice about the Web is not always helpful, I offer an alternative-genre- and conclude this article by arguing that genre-based comparisons and guidelines may be more helpful for practicing writers than comparisons based only on medium. These comparisons can encourage writers to be guided by their audience’s needs and their communicative purpose, rather than being guided by the medium for which they write” (276).
So web writing doesn't have one genre?For once, a form of writing that isn't filled with straight requirements. I feel that the limitations on writing for the web are almost too broad. It seems like there are or should be more criteria on the perfect web page. Writers for the web need to have broad creativity because the criterion for a good website is situational and always changing. For me, writing for the web seems a little overwhelming because of the lack of direction that comes along with it. It seems a lot easier as a writer to simply do the writing and allow someone else to complete the layout and design. Sometimes the text is enough to concentrate on when I'm writing. I’m not so sure every writer prefers to deal with the layout and design of their own text.Some writers don't want to be bothered with anything other than words. The people who do prefer to write for the web certainly acquire an advantage over those who just choose to write print. There are multiple skills used when completing a whole website page rather than just writing the article.
I wonder if readers really prefer to read on the web rather than text. If there was a preference it isn't to be based on how attention seeking the piece maybe. The preference ultimately is based on the convenience of the reader. Accessibility is my best guess for why people would prefer the web. They simply want the easiest, quickest way to find accurate information when they need it.
Gregory states that “readers are no more captive in print than they are on the Web. The decision to read is always a conscious one. Ultimately, (Dervin 1983) recognizes that information can’t be pushed onto captive audiences. Instead, readers will access what information interests them (or answers their questions) at the time that is more convenient to them and see the medium that they choose” (280). The quote implies that the readers attention is not directed simply because it is a print or web document. This is true, the actual medium of the text does not purely cause the readers attention, but readers are more captive to the Web because it is more readily available. Majority of readers have easy accessibility to the Internet. Today, the Internet is the most convenient medium for many people. Although, the intentions of both mediums may be the same, many times web articles are more appealing purely because of their accessibility.
